


Soulless

by ScarlettStreet



Category: No Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, F/M, Fantasy, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-21
Updated: 2018-10-21
Packaged: 2019-08-05 03:04:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,696
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16359503
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ScarlettStreet/pseuds/ScarlettStreet
Summary: A powerful and ruthless government known as the S.E.A has branched out over all over the world, becoming a global organization.  Special Elimination Agency is what they stand for, and what they're good at.  Specials and Cryptids, remarkable beings with powers and abilities are now severely endangered.Coper, Ren, and Zeke, three unlikely friends,  team up one day out of the blue, hoping to terminate the agency and put an end to its slaughtering once and for all. With the help of gathered Cryptids and Specials, they work to regain their freedom.





	Soulless

**Author's Note:**

> This is an original story.

In past eras, people believed and worshipped many things. Legends, myths, fairytales, and other stories that may or may not be deemed as true, were shared amongst humans all over the world. Most people rolled their eyes at the tales they were told, wondering why there was even reason to make up such things when there were real-life abnormalities walking the earth. These beings looked just like the simple human, only with remarkable abilities. Others had only a smidge of basic human traits, while creature-like features made up the most of their structure. Humans who had the magic to heal prevented many plagues from ending lives, humans with great strength could build houses or manage the workload, and others could conjure powerful force fields in the face of harm.  
Creatures, with their unique and exotic beauty, were also capable of magic that no one else could obtain, not even powered people. They were a far widespread species, categorized into five main groups. Elves, with long and pointed ears, controlled snow and ice, lessening snowstorms from killing crops and causing a harsh winter. Sirens, who weren’t seen as much as others because of their habitat and lack of legs, wielded lakes, oceans, and massive floods. Nymphs had powers relating to earth and nature, these smaller beings living in more secluded areas like rainforests and woods. Cyclopes were heard of, but never seen as they tended to live in volcanos or normally uninhabitable places. They were said to be huge and destructive, and possessed the power of fire. The last, and most diverse group were Fairies. While all of them could manipulate the winds and air currents, some looked very different from each other. The ones with wings had the ability to fly, and other Fairies resembled other animals entirely.  
Back then, these extraordinary creatures and human look-alikes were the most respected and appreciated by humans in every country, but as the world grew, so did people’s opinions about these beings. As the creatures and powered people desperately tried to keep up with the expectations having powers gave them, everything started to unravel. Soon they weren’t seen as something to love, but as something to hate and envy. Why were these creatures and people born with amazing gifts while the rest of them were rendered useless?  
At first these unique beings were simply tormented, people calling them demons, witches, and other cruel names. Many ended their lives to escape the growing madness, but the victims who decided to fight back were treated more and more foul. Gathering up troops and weapons, humans began the slaughter of many creatures and people who weren’t much different than themselves. Men, women, and even children, were hunted and killed. Some countries would torture creatures, abusing them like animals, or to starve. Overtime, as these violent acts continued, the population of powered people and creatures was greatly decimated. Those that survived either moved far away to the middle of nowhere or hid among civilization.  
In present day, these beings now go by a new name. Creatures as Cryptids, and powered people as Specials. Although most have learned to blend in and live normal lives under the radar, they are still being searched for by a world-wide organization known as the S.E.A.  
The S.E.A was originally formed in the late 1920’s by a group of former government officials. Fueled by their shared hatred and fear of the cryptids and specials, they sought out others with similar opinions. Jobs that paid well were offered to those who decided to work for the S.E.A, giving eager people yet another incentive to join. As more recruitments flooded in to join the movement, the more it started to develop into something extremely detrimental for their victims. The organization only benefited from there when technology was introduced, providing them with many advancements like scientific gadgets and new equipment.  
By 2004, the S.E.A had spread like a virus, establishing alliances with other countries’ governments and becoming a global agency known for containing these “violent” creatures. Eight or more warehouse facilities and bases were built in every country, forcing cryptids and specials to retreat to very remote and isolated places. This caused more death on the cryptids’ side because of their inability to adapt to certain environments. Cryptids like elves that were generally found in colder climates, died escaping to lands with hotter temperatures, and nymphs who survived on the rainforests around them experienced endangerment when trees were cut down. These two out of the five main cryptid groups had the greatest number of deaths, and nearly faced extinction.  
A woman named Debra Esposito, a relative of one of the founding members of the organization, was elected leader in 2008. She would control the S.E. A.’s activity in the United States but would also negotiate with other high-ranking agents stationed in other countries.

 

Mason Alwood’s case had been going on for a week now. At this point he was starting to accept the fact that he was probably going to be sent to jail. There was just too much evidence against him. Drugs had been found in the backseat of his car, covered in his fingerprints.  
He’d been driving to the gas station, wanting to get a Rockstar before heading to work when he was pulled over. He’d been going fifty-two on a forty-mph zone. Mason had politely argued that the road he’d been driving down wasn’t clearly marked, but then the policeman had suddenly told him to get out of his car. He’d done as told, watching where he stood as the officer reached into the back of his car, retrieving what would then have him arrested. Five days later the trial had begun.  
He wasn’t stupid, he knew from the very beginning that there was a chance this wouldn’t end well for him. After all, someone was going to a lot of trouble to make it that way. He just wished he and his attorney could be lucky enough to get out of this.  
They had reached the conclusion of the trial, this was their last chance to persuade the jury that he was innocent. Mason watched as his attorney, Laura Williams, stood and made her way to the front of the court. He felt detached and hopeless as she gave her final statement.  
“My client was never under the influence of Heroin. The drugs and its evidence relating to Mr. Alwood were planted in the vehicle by Debra Esposito, in hopes of framing the defendant. Her motives for undergoing such an action are quite clear, she wanted to prevent the defendant from leaking defaming information about her. I ask the jury to see themselves in Mason Alwood’s position. If you knew something about someone and were made to look guilty because of it, would you see it fair to possibly be sent to prison for it? All because of a secret someone didn’t want out in the open?” his attorney watched the people in front of her as she said this.  
Debra Esposito, a short, brown haired woman, who looked to be in her early fifties, sat in the audience. Mason could practically smell the deceit radiating off her from where he sat in his own chair. He was positive she was behind this whole scheme. She’d always been nosy and too curious about him and his family. Sure, she had tried to play it off as being a friendly neighbor, but Mason had always seen right through it.  
He remembered a day years ago when his wife had entered their home looking disquiet. She was carrying their four-year-old daughter Ren, who was oblivious to her mother’s distress. Mason had asked what the matter was, and she’d told him that the lady next door had asked about her and Ren’s eyes. His wife worried that they’d have to move again, but Mason had reassured her that nobody could possibly find out unless somehow, they made the astounding guess. And if they did, what could they do? Who would believe them? But the incidents continued after that. Debra continued to try to get closer with their family, and it had only unsettled them more. So, they’d moved houses, but Debra was a persistent neighbor who had never gotten the clue to leave them the hell alone. She’d stayed well within the area, like a shark circling a deserted island, never acting. Until now.  
He assumed she wanted to know something, which was ironic given that he was accused of knowing something dangerous about her. He didn’t know anything; the case was absurd, so absurd that his lawyer couldn’t even figure out Debra’s motive for framing him. They had just figured she was an intrusive, mean, and self-righteous lady who didn’t want her bingo-buddies thinking she was indeed that. Mason knew Debra wanted him put away, but he just didn’t know why.  
The prosecutor stood to give his own closing statement then, reviewing the charges and evidence against him. A few minutes later everyone was dismissed, and the jury deliberation was commenced.  
Waiting outside with the person responsible for all of this was pure agony. This woman had caused him and his family years of worry and fear. He wanted to punch her and demand to know what her issue was with him. She was looking at him, an invisible smirk playing at her thin lips. Mason regretted not doing it earlier.  
“We, the jury, find the defendant to be guilty.”  
The words rang out in the courtroom and silence followed soon after as Mason Alwood was led outside once again, hands cuffed behind his back. But he didn’t miss the sinister glint in Debra’s brown eyes, or the middle-aged man who accompanied her as she stood.  
At that moment, all he could feel was fury erupting in his chest. She was the reason he was going to prison, and Mason couldn’t think of one thing he’d ever done to her.  
A prison guard showed him to his bland cell. He barely registered the door closing behind him and the officer reminding him when food hours were. Mason laid down on his bed, feeling the springs digging uncomfortably into his back. He expected to feel immense dread or anguish as he processed his situation, but the anger had faded and the only emotion he was experiencing right now was fear. He wasn’t afraid for himself, he was afraid for what he wouldn’t be able to protect. His daughter. Would she now be a target because of him? Because of Debra’s illogical dislike for him? If it was this easy for Debra to lock him away, there was no doubt she had the capability to do worse. All he knew was that he had to warn Ren, tell her to get out of town, away from Debra. Would she listen to him, believe him when he told her he was innocent? He’d made mistakes before, but never involving drugs or alcohol. Tomorrow, when he was allowed outside time, he’d try to call her on the courtyard phone.

 

***

“You have a visitor.”  
He looked up instantly from the book he’d been reading all morning. The guard stood by the now-opening door expectantly. Mason set aside the book hurriedly, not even bothering to mark the page as he normally would. He put his hands behind his back, and the restricting handcuffs clamped around his wrists. Then he was led to the visitation area.  
He scanned multiple, occupied tables before his eyes abruptly landed on one where a black-haired girl sat. It seemed as if she was trying to hide her impatience, but her drumming fingers gave her away. An incredible amount of relief surged through him as he walked through the door separating him from his daughter. Her eyes shot up and met his immediately. He took note of the dark bags under dark green eyes and the restrained expression that hardened her face. Mason ignored the hawk-like gazes from a couple of officers as he closed the gap with a few barely-contained strides.  
He sat down in the chair and she opened her mouth to speak. He cut her off.  
“Ren.”  
“Dad?” The millions of questions underlying in that one word were evident.  
He rushed to explain, knowing there wouldn’t be much time to get out everything he needed to. “I need you to listen.”  
His daughter stared at him, calculating his expression. The action was so familiar it made his insides twist with painful longing. It was something the two of them used to do. When neither of them wanted to ask, they’d read each other and try to guess what the other person was thinking or feeling. In fact, they were both so good at it that it was almost impossible to hide anything at all.  
“Okay,” she replied, eyes still trained on him.  
Mason inhaled deeply, wondering where he should begin. He decided to waste no time and just come right out with it.  
“You have to go. Leave the house, city, or even state if you must. Whatever you do, you just need to leave. But you’ve got to do it soon. It’s not safe anymore for you. I don’t know why, but this woman has been obsessed with our family for so long. She’s untrustworthy and dangerous, and there’s a chance she’ll come after you next.”  
Ren, unsurprisingly, was quiet after he finished. She’d always been a very quiet child, and it often intimidated other children. He distantly remembered all the phone calls he got in his early adult years. She’d been quite the silent troublemaker. In a way, she still was.  
Her voice interrupted him from his thoughts.  
“Just like she did to you,” she said. It wasn’t a question, but a sort of confirmation.  
Then she let out a quiet huff, massaging her closed eyes. “I knew you weren’t stupid enough to do heroin. She framed you.”  
Mason allowed himself a grim smile before he nodded. “Yes, I really think she did.”  
They sat in silence for a few minutes, both troubled and overwhelmed with despair for the current situation.  
And suddenly Ren leaned forward, eyes widening with a stricken realization. “Dad.”  
The urgency in her voice made his heart pick up the pace. He stared at her in question.  
“You don’t think she works for the S.E.A, do you?”  
It was like his head had been submerged in a frozen lake, mind and thoughts numbed, unable to think clearly. Now he’d broke the surface, everything so obvious he wanted to drown himself for being so dense. How could he have not pieced it together? Debra Esposito had never been a typical, prying person, she’d been a threat all along. Had he realized sooner what her purpose and real motives were, he would’ve left the state with Ren a long time ago. She’d come after him for the only purpose of getting rid of him, that had been her plan from the start. He was a special, and the look she’d given him had only confirmed she’d known the entire time.  
“What about Melissa?” Ren clearly hadn’t needed a reply to her last question, his expression was enough to tell her his answer. “She and her family are in trouble too if this is happening.”  
Mason hadn’t thought about that. His old friend hadn’t crossed his mind in so long, but it had been long since he’d last saw her. “Do you have a way to get in touch with her?”  
His daughter nodded. “I have her daughter’s phone number.”  
That eased him a little. “Okay, call her as soon as we’re done here. But I mean it, Ren. You need to get out of town immediately. The S.E.A is smart, and they’ve made it so I can’t protect you anymore. They’re going to come after you and others as soon as they see fit.”  
“This is really serious then. We’ve always had to keep quiet about what we could do, but we were never in danger so much to this extent.” The bags under her eyes seemed to have grown darker just from hearing this, and she twisted her fingers agitatedly.  
Mason leaned forward as well. “That’s what I’m telling you. This organization is powerful and efficient, but they keep quiet about it, so no one suspects them. Our enemies are different this time. This isn’t like the medieval times where they very publicly killed our kind.”  
“Time’s up.” The officer’s voice was a firework compared to the quietness of their conversation.  
Damn it. He still had so much to say.  
He stood up, very aware that this could possibly be the last time they saw each other. “I have to go now. I love you. Be safe,” Mason rushed to tell his daughter before the officer walked him out of the room.  
He knew that she’d be on her own now.

***

Ren walked to her truck in a daze. The last twenty-four hours were playing on a loop inside her head. She remembered roaming the empty house, indecisiveness causing her to pace back and forth. Her dad hadn’t wanted her to attend his last trial, and she was notified of the results soon after. Hearing the news had made her beyond frustrated and a little pissed at the law. Ren knew her father would never be stupid enough to try drugs. He’d had a clean record his entire life. He was a good man, a good father. And that’s why she’d ditched her sweats and the sulking and raced to the prison.  
Now, she sat in her dinosaur-aged truck and contemplated even more information as a Korean pop song became background music to her thoughts. A woman who she’d once deemed as the most annoying person in the world had framed her dad just because he was a special. A part of Ren was grateful that she hadn’t done worse, but this didn’t calm her in the slightest. Somehow Debra had uncovered the truth about him, but why had she acted now? Why had she acted years later if she had already been suspicious of them? Ren knew Debra was fearful of their kind, and people did irrational things when they were afraid. Her father had also been scared, she’d seen it in his eyes when she’d said the name of their kind’s biggest threat. The Special Elimination Agency. It was because of them that she had to get out of town now. If the government knew about him, there was also a chance they knew about her, this much was undeniable.  
Ren had to fight the urge to pull her hair out. She was torn, and a little hesitant to do what her dad had asked of her. Ren liked where she lived. She was reluctant to pack all her belongings and figure out where she would drive to. Neither she or her shitty vehicle would last long without a specific plan. And it wouldn’t be just her who would have to up and move, anyone else who possessed abilities or magic in the vicinity would have to flee as well.  
As she drove to the more inconclusive part of the city where the trees thickened, and the rain seemed to fall a little harder, she was aware that going home probably wasn’t the best option right now. But if Ren was going to leave, she had to get things ready first. Going on the run wasn’t as simple as just driving away with no cash or clothes.  
She turned a corner and continued to drive down the road until it turned to familiar gravel. She just needed to go home, put some things in a bag, and then she would drive far away.  
It was thundering hard, the heavy rain making loud pitter-patter noises against the windshield. Ren could see it now in the distance, the little grey house she’d lived in ever since she was a child and up until now. She’d miss it for sure, no doubt about it. She could make out the big backyard where she had practiced archery hours on end, the old garden her mom used to work on but was now just a row of wet brown dirt, and the tall basketball hoop that she always feared would crash down through the window where her room was. The closer she got the more all those things come into view, but the black suburban parked near her driveway wasn’t something she always remembered seeing. There was no mistaking that car for anything other than what it was. It couldn’t be a friend’s car because she had no friends, and it couldn’t be a family member because no one related to her owned a vehicle with a freaking government license.  
Ren white knuckled the steering wheel when the realization of her mistake hit. Coming home was the last thing she should’ve done. This person had been waiting for her.  
“Smart move,” she chided herself as the pitch-black vehicle started up and slowly moved toward her.  
She spun the wheel fast, wielding the truck to turn around and head back the way she’d come. Ren floored the gas, the vehicle lurching forward as it sped down the dirt road. Scenery whipped passed and she stole a glance out of the rear-view mirror at the suburban tailing her. Although it didn’t help identify her pursuer, the driver was clad in some type of black SWAT material with a gleaming mask obscuring his entire face. He was gaining on her quickly and Ren became more aware of the cell-phone that rested like an unspoken weight in her jeans’ pocket. She needed to call for help, but that would have to come after she ditched this guy. And the only way to do that would be to ditch her truck. Ren scanned her surroundings, trying to come up with something that would buy her some getaway time. There was nothing but trees, a couple of sheds, and the bump of her tires against unsmooth road.  
Then it came to her. Up ahead was a big ditch beside a dirt path covered with leaves, rocks, and tall weeds that had grown out for far too long. It was practically invisible if someone wasn’t watching for it, which in this case, the driver probably wouldn’t be. Ren knew it was her best bet, but if it didn’t work then she’d have to get out of her car and beat the ever-living crap out of him. It wasn’t something Ren would normally do, but today she felt up to it. She pushed the stick shift to a higher gear, speeding up at the same time he nearly clipped the back of the truck. They were nearly there, just a couple more feet and Ren would execute her plan. She mentally counted down the seconds, her eyes set on the trap ahead. Ten more yards. Five more yards. She glanced in the rear view again. He was so close that even if he sped up in the slightest he would nick the backend. She looked back up, and as the last few feet were covered, she prepared herself. In the last moment before veering off into the ditch, Ren yanked the wheel sharply to the side. The turn was so severe that the trucks’ wheels faltered, the vehicle almost tipping over before the others righted themselves back on the road. Not having been fast enough to avoid the ditch, the black suburban tumbled straight into it at about seventy miles per hour. She didn’t spare him another glance this time and took off.  
After she’d left her truck sitting in the middle of the woods, Ren trudged through the muddy earth, rain continuously pouring down as she tried not to feel like a drowned sewer rat. She’d found a few weapons in the trunk and felt a little more secure knowing she could defend herself if anyone else harmful showed up, but Ren knew it was time to give Melissa’s daughter a call. 

***

June 2006  
“Who is Melissa?” a six-year-old Ren asked. Her hand was clasped in her father’s as he led her to the front of a giant wooden house.  
“Melissa is my very good friend who I work with. She has a daughter that’s a year older than you are and I think you two would get along great. You can play with each other while we work, okay?”  
Ren didn’t answer as they reached the front door. Her father rang the doorbell. They waited a few seconds and then the door opened, and they were greeted by a woman with brown hair and brown eyes. She was about to ask her why her house was so big, and more so why it was in the middle of a forest but was interrupted by her dad saying her name. He had crouched down so they were more eye-level. She turned to look at him.  
“Ren, I’d like you to meet Melissa Cross.”  
“Hi, there, Ren. I’m Melissa and this is my daughter Coper.” Melissa opened the door wider to reveal a little girl with blonde, indigo-streaked hair and purple eyes.  
Ren’s eyes widened at the color as Coper waved a shy hand.  
“How are your eyes purple?”  
Mason and Melissa chuckled and then he was apologizing for Ren’s bluntness. Coper hid behind her mom, feeling a bit embarrassed.  
“Shall we?” Melissa moved to the side to let them in and Ren took in the large room.  
The oak-wood walls of the house were a soft white while others were a deep brown like the flooring. The giant staircase in the middle of the room was made from flat logs entirely which led up to the second floor, a long endless hall of closed doors. A fireplace crackled in the spacious family room to the left of them and everything seemed to be decorated in various shades of greens, beiges, reds, and oranges. There was a soft glow to the entire house and peppermint scents wafted through the air. The house was huge, but very homey.  
“You have a beautiful home,” Mason noted politely, looking around.  
“Thank you. If we want to go ahead and start working now I can have Coper show Ren to the playroom we have.”  
Melissa gave her daughter a gentle nudge and Coper stepped forward looking  
awkward.  
“Want to see our playroom?”  
“Sure,” Ren replied and the two of them took off running down the hall to another room on the first floor.  
The playroom was decently-sized too, filled with stuffed animals, books, games, and a small round table with two bean bag chairs.  
“Want to color?” Coper asked. She walked over to the shelves, pulling out two coloring books before looking at her expectantly.  
“Okay. That’s fun,” Ren said and sat down in one of the bean bag chairs.  
Coper placed a bucket of crayons and markers down on the table along with the coloring books. Ren looked at the fantasy themed notebook and flipped through the pages, trying to decide which one she wanted to color. She settled on a picture of a dragon while Coper began coloring in a mermaid. Ren reached into the bucket of crayons, pulling out a pink and an orange.  
“Your eyes are dark green,” Coper informed her as she colored the mermaid’s tail blue.  
“Yeah. I was born with them like that. Were your eyes born like that?” Ren asked curiously.  
Coper looked up and nodded. “My sister, my dad, and my uncle have them too.”  
Ren was intrigued by this. “Wow! That’s cool. The only person in my family who has my eyes is my mom. Well, my grandpa did too but he’s dead now.”  
“Oh. I’m sorry. Your eyes are cool though.”  
“Thanks. So are yours,” Ren replied.  
She colored the dragon’s wings pink as Coper thanked her back. Minutes passed as they colored, and Ren became so fidgety she had to stop coloring to prevent her hands from ruining the picture. She still didn’t understand why she and her dad were here and what he and Melissa were working on. She could tell that Melissa and her family were like her from the eyes, so she didn’t feel threatened by them or their odd house, but she was still eager to learn more. It seemed Coper was too, because she’d stopped coloring and was peeking at Ren through the side of her peculiar-streaked hair. She looked like she was gathering the courage to ask something, and her eyes now stared blankly at her drawing, as if it had the answers. Ren was growing bored, wanting to talk to her as well and maybe ask a few questions of her own. She decided to push through the nerves and awkwardness and do exactly that.  
“How old are you?” she questioned Coper, flipping the crayon between fingers.  
Coper’s eyes widened for a split second, caught off guard. It would’ve been a normal expression, had the color not been so striking.  
“I’m seven,” she said.  
“Aww,” Ren whined, “you’re older than me. I’m six.”  
Coper flashed a triumphant smile at this, as if this meant she was now the mightiest human being. The look only lasted for so long, as it was now replaced with furrowed eyebrows and a chewed lip.  
“Do you…” Coper began. “Do you have powers?”  
It was Ren’s turn to be surprised now. She didn’t really know how to answer this. Her dad had always taught her to say no to such inquiries, but she felt like she could tell Coper.  
“Sort of. It’s kind of hard to explain. I have my dad’s power, but it’s only just developing. He says it’ll grow stronger as I get older.”  
“Really? That’s what my mom told me! She says soon I’ll be pretty powerful. Just like my dad and my uncle.”  
“Do they have the same powers as you?” Ren was intrigued.  
Coper shook her head. “No, but my mom and my sister do.”  
She looked thoughtful for a moment and then asked Ren with a raised eyebrow, “Have you ever met anyone else with powers? Someone that’s not related to you?”  
“Uh-uh. You’re the first.”  
“Whoa. I can’t say the same. One time we had this strange-looking dude come to our house and he was chubby with big, long ears and pink skin. I think he must’ve been a cryptid. My friend Zeke and I made fun of him when he left,” Coper giggled.  
Ren burst out laughing at the description. “Was he Patrick from SpongeBob?”  
Coper laughed as well, clutching her sides. The two of them giggled over the dumb, starfish cartoon character for minutes. Then the sound of footsteps were heard, and their parents appeared at the doorway to the playroom. It was time for Ren and her father to leave. 

***

Coper sat at her table thinking over the many phone calls she’d just had in the past hour. A girl she hadn’t seen in years had contacted her out of the blue warning her of some threat, and then her mother, who was the busiest woman she knew, had called her almost seconds after Ren had hung up. That was enough to make her anxious.  
The sun was going down and the dimming light cast a greyness around her kitchen. It’d been stormy and pouring rain all day, and it didn’t look like it was going to let up any time soon. She looked out the window, ignoring whatever the TV was showing in the connected living room. Coper hoped to see Ren appearing around the corner of the long hedge that separated their apartment from the neighbors’, but there was no sign of her yet. When she’d offered to come pick her up, Ren had given her a firm “No”, figuring that whoever was after them could probably track Coper down if she drove to Ren. Therefore, it was best to stay put, and have the younger girl come to her instead. Coper was a tad uneasy about this. Ren lived almost an hour away from her, so walking to the apartment was going to take a little more than a while.  
She lit a few candles in case the power went out and made her way past the living room to the closet. Coper pulled out a large duffel bag and paused, looking back toward her best friend who lay sprawled out on the couch. He was watching the TV screen intently, dark eyes trained on nothing else. They’d been living together ever since Zeke had turned eighteen, and at that point he’d been free to leave his home and adoptive father behind. But just because Coper had to leave didn’t mean she would burden Zeke into coming along with her, and the unexpected call from Ren was enough to tell her that she wouldn’t be able to remain here much longer. Coper looked back at the duffel in her hands and shut the door. It was time to pack.  
Fifteen minutes later she had a decently filled bag. Coper hadn’t been sure how much to bring, throwing things in without paying much attention. It was better to keep things light after all. She unconsciously paced the kitchen now, restless and a little irritable with the buzz of the TV. The food network, seriously? He had to pick the most uninteresting channel to watch. Coper shook her head at her best friend’s taste. It was past eight now, two hours since she’d gotten the call from Ren. The darkness outside wasn’t helping to lessen the apprehension running through her veins. It was October, which meant the days were shorter and colder. She glanced out the kitchen window and nearly jumped back. A dark silhouette was turning around the hedge and heading for the steps that lead up the back porch. She was already here? For a moment, Coper’s hands prickled, before the rational side of her brain told herself to calm down. It wasn’t an agent. It was Ren. Coper quickly made her way to the sliding door, unlocking it and pulling it to the side to reveal, indeed, Ren.  
Ren nodded at her, stepping into the threshold. Her boots squished as she walked into the kitchen. She was sopping wet, and her knit poncho and hair dripped onto the floor. She strolled to the sink, maneuvering out from under her bow and quiver of arrows Coper now noticed she’d been carrying. Ren removed the arrows and dumped the quiver into the sink, water splashing out. Then she pulled the dripping poncho over her head and set it on the counter to dry with her other belongings. Coper remained by the sliding door, watching all this with a dull expression and an urge to say, “Make yourself at home.” But before she could, Ren turned to look at her with intense eyes. “I hope you don’t mind.”  
Coper shrugged. “It’s fine. I wasn’t planning on making us dinner and coffee while we chatted about how awful law enforcement is.”  
Ren nodded again, hovering next to the sink with her arms folded. Her wet black hair hung in her face.  
Coper exhaled, scratching her forehead tiredly. They did need to talk about the elephant in the room. She straightened and moved to the table, pulling out two chairs. Ren seemed to get the message and crossed the short distance to sit down.  
“Hang on just a second,” Coper told her as she disappeared to her room.  
She grabbed her laptop that was sitting on the bed and a towel from the bathroom. When Coper returned, she saw that Ren had risen in her chair. She was eyeing the back of the living room couch with a hint of confusion and slight offense. She looked up when she saw that Coper was back.  
“Here’s a towel.” Coper handed it to her.  
Ren accepted the offered towel, still facing the direction of the T.V. “Do you have someone else over?”  
Coper was reluctantly about to explain the whole roommate situation when a yawn was let out. The couch groaned as Zeke sat up, shifting his legs from the couch to the floor. He stretched to pick up what looked like Fruit Roll-Up wrappers and then stood. His deep brown hair was matted to his head from where he’d been laying against the arm rest and his joints popped as he moseyed into the kitchen. He discarded the crinkled trash into the garbage before, finally, detecting Coper and their guest. It seemed he’d been unaware of the situation the entire time.  
“What…” he trailed off. His almond-shaped eyes flickered back and forth between the duffel bag on the table, the weapons on the counter by the sink, and Ren.  
“Zeke-” Coper started.  
“Coper why is Pocahontas sitting at our kitchen table?”  
Ren narrowed her eyes at that.  
“And why is your duffel out?” he asked suspiciously with a bit of unease.  
Coper groaned internally, this is exactly what she wanted to avoid. She put a hand on Zeke’s shoulder and then gestured to Ren, who was running the towel through her hair.  
“Zeke. This is my friend, Ren. Our parents were friends when we were little, so we’ve known each other for a long time.”  
Coper then faced Ren, “Ren, this is my best friend, Zeke. You’ve heard of him.”  
“Yeah,” Ren stated simply.  
“Good, so now you guys know each other.” Coper half-heartedness was more like one fourth hearted.  
Zeke shifted awkwardly. “Um. If you don’t mind me asking, what is she doing here exactly?”  
“The government came after me and then I called Coper to warn her. She agreed that we needed to meet immediately, so I walked to your guys’ apartment. Now Coper and I need to plan where we’re going to go,” Ren said seriously, and she stared at Zeke as if he wasn’t very important. “Are you coming with us?”  
“No,” Coper interjected firmly before Zeke could speak.  
She felt a sting of guilt as Zeke’s eyes filled with hurt. Exasperation directed at Ren swelled up inside her, and she wanted to walk out of the room and get in her car. The whole situation was a mess.  
Coper rushed to elaborate. “It’s too dangerous.”  
Zeke didn’t look convinced. “I don’t understand. What’s too ‘dangerous’? Who is after you guys?”  
Coper sighed, defeated. Zeke wasn’t going to let this go. She pulled him to the side, away from Ren. “Do you remember when I told you I was a special?”  
Zeke’s eyes widened a fraction, caught off guard by the question. “Of course I do. It was the weirdest day of my life.”  
“Then you should also remember when I made you promise to keep it a secret.”  
“I do.”  
“Well, that’s just it. It’s not a secret anymore. Somehow it spread, so now people like me are in danger,” Coper said.  
Zeke had been listening intently, but he still looked confused. “Didn’t people always know your kind existed, though?”  
“A handful were aware of our existence, yes, but those people were mostly just angry protesters here and there, and no one ever really believed what they were saying anyway. According to Ren and my mom, the global organization called the S.E.A now know about us especially, and apparently they have some method or gadget that tells them exactly who is a special or a cryptid,” Coper finished.  
Zeke’s eyes were fixated on her own, as if he was just now noticing the strange color of them. He looked worried. “You don’t think it’s because of your eye color, do you?”  
Ren, who had totally not been eavesdropping, spoke up then. “It isn’t unheard of for people to have abnormal eye colors, so no, we don’t think that’s the reason they know about us. Besides, they can probably track us down now. We would notice if someone had put a tracker in our eyeballs.”  
It was the longest sentence Coper had heard her say, and the sarcasm hadn’t even been used correctly. Luckily, Zeke seemed to get it now.  
“So that’s why you have to leave.” His dark eyes were understanding, but disappointed. “And that’s also why you don’t want me to come with you.”  
Coper nodded. She knew it was unfair of her to be the one who decided for him, but she really didn’t need to be worrying about Zeke’s safety. She voiced this much to him.  
A raised eyebrow was what she got in return.  
“Coper, I’m nineteen years old. You’ve been my best friend since we were seven. I’m not going to sit back and watch infomercials while you get possibly hunted down. And besides, I’m not going to be able to pay rent without you.”  
“Some friend you got there, Coper,” Ren commented, watching them both with folded arms.  
***

“So…” Zeke prolonged the word as Coper and Ren put their stuff in the car. “Where exactly is it we’re going?”  
Coper looked at him.  
He stood by the side of the car, his hands stuffed in the pockets of his grey hoodie. An unsure expression captured his features.  
Ren peered over the side of the car. “Don’t tell me you’re having second thoughts.”  
Zeke’s eyes widened a bit. Quick to defend himself he protested, “I’m not. I just want to know where we’re going...That’s all.”  
Coper shot Ren a look and the girl relented with a quiet exhale. Silently, she got into the passenger side.  
Coper shut the trunk and shifted her lavender eyes to Zeke. “When I talked to my mom earlier, I asked her what we should do. She said that we just need to worry about getting out of town for now, and then she’ll get back to me as soon as she can. Ren thinks we should board a train.”  
“You think that’s safe?” Zeke asked, following Coper to the doors of the car.  
She got in the driver’s seat, her face so impassive she almost looked bored. Zeke wondered how she felt about all this. She hadn’t complained once, just accepted the situation wearily, and with maybe slight frustration.  
“I don’t know.” Lines of stress disappeared from her face as soon as they’d appeared. She closed the door.  
He tried to ignore the upset tug he felt from those words as he ducked into the backseat.  
***

They pulled into the train station around midnight, parking just outside. The sky was a stormy black and it had begun to rain again. The air was cold and bitter, and Zeke jerked his beanie downwards to cover more of his ears. He stood by the car alone with Ren while Coper went to the ticket booth. He prayed they hadn’t missed the last train, otherwise they would have to drive for days alone without the protection of the public. It was quiet around them, except for the low roar of the wind and the occasional boom of thunder.  
Ren was staring out into the pitch-black night, her dark green eyes searching for what hopefully wasn’t there. Her posture appeared slack from where she leaned against the old Honda civic, but her folded arms were tense.  
Zeke gazed at the outside of the train station, feeling antsy and awkward waiting with Ren. He knew he didn’t really like her, nor the fact that she was Coper’s “childhood friend.”  
She was so quick to dislike him, just like everyone else in his life. Except Coper of course.  
Zeke acknowledged that he wasn’t the coolest person, he’d never been that way. As a kid, he did not have any friends. While all the other students had played on the swings or the slides, he’d been by himself, drawing stupid pictures of animals with chalk. He remembered one day in second grade when Coper had walked up to him on the playground, indigo-streaked blonde hair hanging in her face. Zeke had been too entranced with his latest drawing to pay her any attention...until she’d stepped on it.  
“You’re stepping on my rhino.” He squinted up at her, annoyed.  
Coper just shrugged and moved off. He expected her to go away, but instead she sat down and grabbed a piece of chalk. “I’m going to draw you with a mustache,” she told him plainly. She got to work as his jaw dropped in surprise and offense. “How dare you!” 

“There’s a night train leaving in twenty.” Coper’s voice broke him from his memory as she walked up to them, holding up three tickets between two fingers. “Let’s go.”  
They grabbed their stuff and headed inside the open area. Ren and Coper had supplied themselves with black glasses, obscuring the color of their eyes completely.  
The train was quiet with only few passengers. Ren, Coper, and Zeke walked passed the front carts, heading for one in the back. Zeke glanced through the windows of the occupied carts. He probably looked like a creep sneaking peeks, but he felt a little wary and nervous. Night trains were unnerving to him, especially almost-empty ones. A young-looking mom and her two kids took up one cart, looking sleepy and restless. Another was occupied by an old man, his baseball cap pulled low over his eyes. The rest were just older adults here and there, Zeke noticed. He broke his gaze from the long rows of windows and looked ahead. Coper was pulling open a door belonging to an empty cart, and Ren was unnaturally still like always. They brought their bags in with them, not wanting to stow them up in the compartments. Zeke took the seat next to Coper, and Ren sat across from them. She watched the door like a crow.  
Coper had taken off her black sunglasses, but her expression was still unreadable to Zeke. She cocked her head to the side, looking out the window. The yellowy low-light of the cart had shut off, and shadows cast a silvery light to the side of her profile. Streetlights from outside would occasionally transform the glow to a warm gold, but as the train moved the light would plunge into darkness. This process seemed to repeat for a while as they progressed farther away from the city.  
Zeke was suddenly tired from today. Earlier, when he'd made the decision to come, Zeke was fully aware that things were very likely going to get crazy, but it hadn't affected his choice in the slightest. That was the thing about him though. No matter how bad of an idea it was, or how unnecessary it was for him to tag along, nothing ever prevented him from doing what he wanted anyway. Maybe it was because he was foolish and an idiot, but right now he didn't care for the reason. Zeke leaned his head back against the booth seat.  
A light punch to his bicep and the sound of his name made his eyes snap open tiredly. Coper was looking down at him with slightly raised eyebrows and an expression that told him she didn't quite know how to handle their current predicament. Her posture was tense, as were her folded arms.  
Suddenly he was wide awake. Zeke scrambled to right himself with a realizing yelp. Somehow during the night he'd fallen asleep...and the upper half of his body had ended up sprawled over Coper's lap, with his head resting against her left leg.  
Once he was righted, he sat a little too perfectly straight in his seat. Coper didn't say anything else, probably not wanting to draw any more attention to the situation.  
She looked a little awkward as she began to speak. "We get off in about twenty minutes. I thought I should wake you."  
Zeke nodded. "Oh, yeah. Thanks. Um, sorry about..." he gestured lamely, "that."  
Coper averted her eyes, the awkwardness returning. "It's fine."  
Rushing to change the subject, Zeke noticed their group lacked a person. "Where's Ren?"  
Her discomfort dissipated immediately. Zeke figured she was probably grateful for a new topic. "She went to go see if there was food."  
"Oh. I hope she finds some. I'm starving."  
Coper looked at him then. Her eyes were amused, and a ghost of a smile played at her lips. "That's because all you ate yesterday were Fruit Roll-Ups and animal crackers."  
"Don't mock my food choices, Coper. I'm a six-year-old at heart," Zeke told her.  
"Trust me. I know."  
Zeke threw his beanie at her. She caught it and tossed it back to him.  
The door slid open, and Ren slipped inside with the grace of a cat. Her arms were full of different snack items.  
Chips, crackers, trail mix, packaged gummies, and a couple of plastic water bottles were then dumped on the empty seat.  
"This is all they had. We'll have to find actual food later," Ren told them while straightening.  
Zeke reached for the snacks, snatching a bag of chips. He stuffed a few other things in his bag for later.  
Zeke popped a chip in his mouth, crunching unintentionally loudly. "What are you talking about, Ren? This is actual food."  
Ren's face was pure disgust. "Some of us prefer to eat healthy."  
Coper took a swig of her water before packing everything else in her duffle. She swung it over her shoulder and stood. "I think we should head to the front. I want to be the first to get off."  
Ren shoved a bag of trail mix in her pants pocket with disinterest. "Alright."  
Zeke followed Coper out, wondering if his and Ren's squabbling had made her impatient.  
It was nearly six in the morning when they got off the train. They waited outside the station for public transportation. They were all unsure what they would do next, having just thought to get out of town fast. It was quiet again with only a few people waiting on the sidewalk with them. Zeke yawned, longing to be at home in his bed. He stood beside a motionless Coper, who looked tired as well. Her rumpled jacket hung off her shoulders carelessly and she rubbed at her eyes sluggishly. He wondered if she had slept on the train at all. Next to them, Ren sat down on a bench, chewing her trail mix. Zeke held out his hand for an M&M, but only received a swat.  
“Please?” Zeke pleaded.  
Ren’s lips drew in a straight line, frowning slightly. Zeke pouted. Her narrowed eyes rolled once before she finally shook out some M&Ms into his hand. “Fine, just take them, pillowcase head.”  
“It’s a beanie!”  
“Doesn’t look like one,” Ren contradicted before settling back against the bench again.  
Zeke pursed his lips exasperatedly. He turned back to Coper, holding out his M&M hand. “Want some?”  
Coper’s purple eyes slid down to look. “That’s gross, Zeke.”  
“No, it’s not. I’m offering you candy, that’s a sweet action. The opposite of gross.”  
“Your hands are dirty.”  
“Looks like you’re going to miss out,” Zeke said with finality and he proceeded to dump the tiny chocolates into his mouth.  
Coper watched him with a straight face, the side of her mouth dipping. A bus pulled up then, the doors throwing open with a little gust. They waited as people clambered up the two steps.  
“We don’t have a car…because we left it at the train station. And we don’t know if or when there will be another train that will take us farther out. So maybe we should get on and then go to a motel from there?” Zeke suggested.  
Coper seemed to be okay with his idea, exhaling slightly. “Yeah, okay.”  
She stopped to ask the driver if it was possible he could drop them off where they needed to go. He agreed much to Zeke’s relief, and they all took their ugly, blue seats on the bus.  
The beige two-story building was bland, but he hadn’t expected the motel to be anything special. Their rooms were on the bottom floor, which would come in handy if they needed to get out fast. The check-in had made them all wary though when the old lady behind the desk had asked a million questions about Ren and Coper’s eyes. “Those eyes are incredible, how are they even natural?” Other than that, Zeke was just happy to be somewhere where there was a bed. He plopped his bag down after entering his room and threw himself down on the bed. It wasn’t comfortable at all, but he could deal with it. Zeke rolled onto his side, grasping the flat pillow between his arms.  
He wasn’t sure for how long, but this was his life now. 

***  
Coper's head was bent over the map she'd grabbed earlier that week from the train station, light blonde strands falling in her face. It was painfully frustrating that they couldn't use Google Maps on their phones. Zeke had a hard time living without technology, especially his Spotify playlist. But until they were somewhere safe and knew for sure that their phones weren’t the reason for them being tracked, Zeke would have to suffer.  
And then Coper's phone rang.  
Zeke didn't know whether to feel annoyance, crippling depression, or fear.  
"Who's calling?" Ren asked, voicing Zeke's thoughts.  
Coper pulled out her phone from her pocket. Zeke was amazed she remembered which one it was in. Her green cargo pants only had ten trillion pockets.  
Unsurprisingly, Coper's expression remained the same when she looked at the caller I.D.  
"It's Kyra," she announced, and then answered it.  
Ren's stood silently with furrowed eyebrows. Recognition appeared in her eyes at the name. Kyra was Coper's older sister. Coper rarely ever heard from her lately, apparently Kyra's new job was extremely confidential, and required full attention and commitment.  
"What do you mean where am I? I can't exactly tell you that, Kyra," Coper contradicted lightly. The underlying tone of her voice was a mix of frustration and annoyance.  
Zeke shifted on the balls of his feet a little awkwardly, while Ren looked bored from where she leaned against the wall.  
The conversation went on for a couple more minutes until Coper was suddenly caught off guard by something her sister said. It only lasted for a split second before she was replying.  
"You're want to give us a car...and you think it would be a good idea to go to possibly one of the most dangerous places?" Coper said this so humdrum it seemed as if she were translating a language coming from the opposite end of the phone.  
Reluctantly, Coper seemed to give in to whatever it was that Kyra wanted. She sighed, glancing around at their surroundings.  
"We're at a motel outside of Portland, we got off the overnight train a few days ago."  
A couple more words were exchanged and then Coper was hanging up.  
Ren raised an eyebrow in question.  
"Kyra just sent me the coordinates to a S.E.A base," she said as she stared at the carpet undecidedly. “I guess my mom told her to do that.”  
Ren rubbed her eyes with an unfolded arm. “Damn.”  
What was with the troubled mood? Zeke was beginning to feel very out of the loop. “Wait a minute, did I miss something? This is crazy. I thought they were supposed to be super top secret. How did your sister even manage to locate one?”  
Ren pulled her hand away from her face and stared at him incredulously. Her eyes narrowed in disdain.  
"Kyra works undercover for the S.E.A,” Coper spoke up, most likely saving him from Ren. She wasn't gazing at the carpet anymore as if it had the answers. Instead, Coper was watching him with an emotionless, but evaluating expression.  
Zeke met her eyes, and he had no idea how to feel. He was surprised, but that quickly morphed into full-fledged betrayal.  
Ren must’ve seen it in his face because she wordlessly opened the motel door to leave. But Zeke pushed passed her, overcome by the desire to get out.  
“You’re welcome.” He heard Ren deadpan before she shut the door behind him.  
The fall air was cold and windy. It blew against him, rippling through his thin layers. He zipped up his hoodie further and walked down the sidewalk scattered with leaves. The motel room was stuffy, and he needed to cool off emotionally. He was angry that Coper’s intentions were always to leave him in the dark about things. Zeke understood that the situation was dangerous, the organization even more so, but the fact that Coper hadn’t told him something relating to her family bugged him. He’d practically grown up with the Crosses, they’d been more of a family to him than his own adoptive one. When his father was distant and uncaring, he would run away to their house. That family was his own safe-haven. Zeke even remembered being there when it had fallen apart.  
“Zeke,” Coper called from behind him. Her soft footsteps scuffled against the sidewalk as she picked up the pace to reach him.  
Zeke was a little stunned she’d followed him. Usually Coper would leave him be when he was upset. He kept walking down the deserted sidewalk, trying to drown out everything else by listening to the rush of the cars driving passed.  
Coper grabbed his arm then, willing him to stop. “Zeke hold on.” Her voice was almost soft, but still dispassionate.  
He turned around to see her straight-faced. He felt the frustration again. “I shouldn’t have to keep finding out about this stuff.”  
Coper dropped his arm and folded her own as the wind whipped passed her. “It’s just safer if you don’t know everything, okay?”  
Zeke huffed at this, shaking his head. He was starting to feel like a little kid who needed to be supervised. A kid you wouldn’t tell important things to.  
“But I’m supposed to be your best friend, Coper!” he stressed what had been bothering him most.  
“You are,” Coper reassured calmly. Her blonde hair blew around her inexpressive face.  
“If for once you could actually say something that wasn’t so emotionless, I’d believe you.”  
Those words seemed to rub her the wrong way, and she looked away from him. Zeke felt the impulse to take it back immediately. He ducked his head, shoving his hands in his pockets and wondering if the rocks on the ground would forgive him.  
Coper changed the subject. “I don’t see why it’s such a big deal to you.”  
Zeke ignored the pang from those words, trying to get ahold of himself. He wasn’t upset because of Kyra’s career choice, but because he always seemed to feel excluded. “Because even Ren had already known!”  
He knew Coper understood then, but she would never empathize with him. She tore her gaze from the side of the building, but she still didn’t meet his eyes. “I told her on the train while you were sleeping. She hasn’t known for that long.”  
Zeke sighed at this, anger exiting his chest and clearing his head. But the disappointment stayed behind. “You still told her first.”  
He kicked one of his rock buddies, watching it roll into the street. He may have just put his friend in danger of cars.  
Zeke looked back up, “I know it’s not that big of a deal, but-  
He was surprised to see Coper watching him, and the look on her face made him stop what he was saying. Her expression almost showed that she was struggling, and he gazed at her patiently. Coper flicked her eyes away from him again and sighed. It was as if she had relented.  
“You’ve known Kyra for almost as long as I have. I shouldn’t have kept it from you,” she spoke.  
It was the closest thing he was going to get for an apology.  
Zeke nodded, feeling better that their “fight” had been sort of resolved. “I’m sorry for blowing up and saying…what I said.” He pushed some hair back from his face, it was starting to grow out more, and therefore fell in his eyes.  
Coper nodded acceptingly, kicking a rock as well as she hid her fingers in her purple sleeves.  
A crash sounded then, and Zeke jerked his gaze back the way they’d come from. Coper, already moving, seemed relieved from the set of her posture. Whatever the commotion was, it had saved them both from the post-awkwardness of their argument. They rounded the narrow corner, Zeke a few feet behind Coper. Zeke’s mouth dropped open when he saw the scene. The telephone booth had been tipped over, and giant shards of glass were scattered all over the sidewalk. Ren stood by the scene, staring at the mess. Zeke had a hard time believing she was the one who’d done this, having witnessed how graceful she was. So, did she just have an extreme prejudice against telephone booths? Then he noticed that Ren was cradling her hand with a clenched jaw. He suspected it wasn’t guilt for what she’d done. They didn’t have time to question her before she was speaking.  
“They moved him to another prison, but I’m not authorized to know where. It’s not like I’m related to him or anything.”  
The quiet, but monotone voice distracted Zeke for a second.  
“Ren, you’re using sarcasm the wrong way again.”  
Ren ignored him, which was exceptionally odd for her.  
Coper appeared in Zeke’s line of view with a first aid kit. He hadn’t even noticed she’d gone inside to get it.  
“You called the prison?” she gave it to Ren, probably knowing she’d want to tend to her wounds herself.  
Ren took the aid kit from her without making eye contact. She was still gazing at the glass with a distant expression. Her brow furrowed slightly. “Yeah,” she admitted.  
“So, I guess we don’t care if we’re tracked anymore?” Zeke asked aloud.  
He thought it amusing that Coper and Ren had disregarded their rule so quickly. It was kind of sad that technology held such power over people.  
Ren shot him a furious death glare so terrifying that normally it would’ve made him shut up, but instead it relaxed him. It seemed to have calmed Coper down as well. A non-glaring Ren was almost as scary as an emotional Coper.  
“Sorry, that was stupid. You needed to see if your dad was okay,” Zeke apologized before she could get too ticked off at him. He recognized that that probably hadn’t been the right time to crack a joke.  
“But I didn’t,” she refuted.  
Zeke, nor Coper knew what to say after that. Then Ren crouched, finally unsnapping the kit with her undamaged hand. She placed it on a patch of ground saved from glass and began rolling up the sleeve of her shirt. Zeke didn’t get a close look, but the skin of her hand up to her elbow was ripped open, and different cuts littered the shallow parts of the wound. Had the glass done that much damage? He wanted to turn away, the nausea welling up inside of him. But before he could, Zeke was shocked to notice something else, something other than the disgusting injury. Imprinted all over her skin were silvery scars, all different lengths and sizes. Most of them were clearly old, while some were a faded, light pink. Zeke wondered why she’d kept them hidden, and how it had never occurred to him that there might be more than just the few on her face.  
The following minute passed with no one saying anything, the only noises being ongoing traffic and Ren’s occasional released sounds of pain.  
“So how are we going to explain this to the hotel?” Zeke asked, toeing at a chunk of glass. “Should we just say Ren has anger issues that are being dealt with?”  
“We won’t be around to explain,” Coper decided.  
Zeke looked at her in question while Ren paused what she was doing. “We’re leaving?”  
Coper nodded. “We should follow Kyra’s instructions. Maybe that way we might…find Ren’s dad.”


End file.
